Rogers’ ex-teammates remember picks that got away

After dropping a string of would-be interceptions during his six seasons in Washington, 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers caught some grief from a few of his former teammates this week.

Asked if he had any good stories about Rogers, tight end Fred Davis told the Washington media, “Him dropping every interception? Naw, I’m joking.”

Davis went on to say he didn’t know Rogers very well, but even Rogers’ good friend, cornerback DeAngelo Hall, alluded to his buddy’s shaky hands during his Redskins’ career. Rogers has a career-high three interceptions entering the Niners’ visit to Washington on Sunday. His three picks match the total of Washington’s defensive backs.

Why has Rogers started catching the ball in his seventh NFL season? Rogers hasn’t offered any dramatic reason for his turnaround beyond catching balls after practice, something he also did with the Redskins.

In an interview with 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., this week, Rogers did say he’s more relaxed in San Francisco.

“I’m not worried about if I give up a touchdown I may get benched,” he said. “They let me be free, they let me blitz, they let me play man how I want to play it. They know I’ve been playing in the league for a while so they kind of take my advice on things I have to say.”

On Wednesday, Rogers said he harbors no bitterness toward second-year Redskins coach Mike Shanahan or his assistants. But he might have tucked away this response from Shanahan, who was asked this week how Rogers played last year.

“If he was as consistent as we would have liked,” Shanahan said, “then we would have signed him long-term.”

It should be noted the Niners didn’t offer Rogers a long-term deal, either. Rogers, who has already expressed his desire to return to San Francisco, signed a one-year deal worth a reported $4.25 million in August.